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| 1976, June 4–18 |
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| The OAS General Assembly in Santiago, Chile, mainly addressed one major issue: the rising tide of human rights abuses in Latin America. Delegates to the assembly pressured the Chilean government of Augusto Pinochet to curtail torture and murder of dissidents. | 1 |
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| 1977, June 14–23 |
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| The OAS General Assembly met in Grenada. Human rights violations again dominated the agenda, and the U.S. decision to suspend aid to Uruguay and Argentina because of human rights abuses was much debated. Delegates split over this apparent interference in the internal affairs of Latin America. | 2 |
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| 1978, Oct |
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| As the insurrection in Nicaragua intensified, the U.S. sought to mediate a compromise in the civil war through a committee of the Organization of American States. This effort failed because Anastasio Somoza refused to resign, and the liberal opposition felt the OAS was too sympathetic to entrenched interests. | 3 |
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| 1979, March |
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| The Third CELAM Conference was held at Puebla, Mexico. Conservatives attacked the liberationist agenda set in Medellín by preparing a paper that called for resignation on the part of the poor and a hope for a better afterlife. Progressive church elements were highly critical of this line of thought and sought the intervention of the new pope, John Paul II, in the dispute. At this point John Paul II sided with more progressive elements, continuing the precedent of Medellín. | 4 |
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| Oct. 30 |
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| The OAS General Assembly unanimously adopted the Declaration of La Paz, which called for democracy, respect for human rights, and disarmament in the region. | 5 |
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